In the early
years the roads of Montgomeryshire were much worse than those in most
other parts of Britain.
The first proper Turnpike Road Act
for the county was passed by Parliament in 1769,
which was 106
years after the first one in England !

Coach
services
from Welshpool
in 1858

A
new Turnpike Act passed in 1834 grouped
the turnpike roads of Montgomeryshire together under the areas they served,
rather than covering long cross-country routes through many different
areas.The new Act also
brought in much higher toll charges. By the start of Queen
Victoria's reign in 1837there were over 1,100 Turnpike companies in England and Wales,
maintaining thousands of miles of roads. This meant that a national network
ofstagecoachservices could operate.

A
four
horsepower
stagecoach !

Although
stagecoaches look very attractive on Christmas cards,
they were not pleasant to travel on for very far. Many roads were
very bumpy and some passengers had to sit out in the open, even
in the middle of winter. Only the better off could afford to use
them for they were fairly expensive.
And there was always the chance of being
robbed on the more isolated stretches of road !

The first
railway lines opened in Britain in
the 1840s, and they were seen as a
quicker, more comfortable, and safer way to travel. As railway services
increased the stagecoaches lost business and the Turnpike Trusts gradually
became bankrupt. The last company in Britain closed for business in 1895.